Dick Van Dyke Reveals Why He and First Wife Margie Married On Live Radio

Dick Van Dyke's first wife wasn't one for the spotlight, but she had a starring role on their wedding day, when millions of listeners tuned in to hear the pair exchange vows on live radio.

Longtime fans know that Van Dyke's first wedding took place on a radio show, but the Mary Poppins star only recently opened up about the details leading up to the decision.

"We were too broke to get married," Van Dyke told the Guardian. He and Margie Willett grew up together in Danville, Illinois, and started dating when Van Dyke was 20.

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Dick and Margie had been together for a couple of years when, in 1948, a radio producer offered to pay for their wedding and honeymoon if they tied the knot on his show. "We exchanged our vows in front of a minister and two radio microphones while 15 million people listened!" Van Dyke told the Guardian.

The marriage lasted 36 years, and the couple had four children together. Willett, whom Van Dyke describes as "earthy and artistic," didn't love Hollywood the way her husband did. "She was shunted aside at showbiz events by people wanting to chat to me," Van Dyke recalled.

"She wore her hair short and eschewed makeup, and we were often mistaken for brother and sister," he added. "Once, when I appeared on a magazine cover, Margie snapped up six copies and the cashier asked if she was my mother."

Following a stint in rehab for alcoholism, Van Dyke found himself confiding in agent's secretary, Michelle Triola, eventually embarking on an affair that would end his marriage. Sadly, Margie died of pancreatic cancer in 2008. Michelle, whom Van Dyke stayed with for 35 years, died of lung cancer a year later.